


Stay With Me

by shherie



Category: Naruto
Genre: Affection, Angst, Caretaking, Ficlet, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hokage Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha Village, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2016-08-17
Packaged: 2018-06-05 06:17:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6692902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shherie/pseuds/shherie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>{Naru/Sasu ficlet} "Sasuke just didn’t know how to take care of himself at all anymore. <i>Doesn’t know, or doesn’t care</i>, said a voice inside Naruto's head. Sasuke turned slowly and glanced over at him. His eyes were vacant, his expression far away. Naruto didn’t know where he was, but he wished he’d come home." {alternate ending}</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A brief ficlet written for tumblr; inspired by conversations about our favorite Sasu-kitty and intended to be cute and fluffy- that didn't quite work out! Um, yay for angst...? So yes, **warning: ANGST. ******

Sasuke was stretched out on Naruto’s bed when he arrived home, soaking up the last rays of sunlight coming through the wide windows. Naruto wouldn’t have minded so much if Sasuke wasn’t lying _directly_ on top of his clean laundry.

“I only just washed that, Sasuke!” Naruto whined, moving over to the bed and trying to swat the lazy, dark-haired boy off his white Hokage robes. “I’ll be you didn’t even notice, did you?!”

Sasuke’s eyes slowly flickered open and he gazed up at Naruto, not looking like he had a care in the world. “Notice what?” he murmured.

Naruto sighed. “Forget it,” he muttered. “How was your day? Have you eaten yet?”

“I was waiting for you,” Sasuke said, sitting up and stretching out, the long line of his back arching elegantly as he did so.

 _More like waiting for me to cook him something_ , Naruto thought to himself grumpily; but then Sasuke leaned over and brushed his lips against his cheek as he slipped off the bed and suddenly Naruto’s mood brightened considerably.

“I stopped by the fish shop on the way home,” Naruto said as he followed Sasuke out to the kitchen. “And there should be some leftover salad from last night. Is that okay?”

Sasuke shrugged and settled in his favourite armchair by the kitchen to watch Naruto cook. “Sure,” he said, yawning and stretching some more, and pulling an oversized blanket around his shoulders.

Naruto turned away from the adorable sight and got to work. He doubted Sasuke had eaten anything today- he’d probably just slept and read and then slept some more. _What would he do without me_ , Naruto thought. Fade away, most likely.

He’d gotten pretty good at cooking things that Sasuke liked, though. Steamed salmon and vegetables with miso dressing; lightly fried snapper and tomato salad. Naruto didn’t mind the healthy stuff, since he’d put on a few pounds since becoming Hokage (desk jobs had their drawbacks). Besides, seeing Sasuke clear his plate was very satisfying- he’d gotten awfully skinny these past few years. And Naruto still got to eat ramen anyway, on those few nights a month when Sasuke just disappeared.

(Where did he go? All kinds of places, probably. Naruto tried not to worry; he could find Sasuke right away if he wanted to. Sasuke needed to be alone, and Naruto needed to be okay with that. He tried to be okay with that.)

They chatted away as they ate: Naruto telling Sasuke about his day and the latest drama between the Mizukage and the Tsuchikage, and Sasuke telling Naruto about the latest book he was reading. Naruto wasn’t much of a reader- not that he had time for it, anyway- but he sure did love listening to Sasuke talk about his books. Sasuke was just so _smart_. Naruto had no idea why he bothered with someone as simple-minded as _him_.

Their conversation continued as Naruto ran them a bath and peeled off their clothes, depositing them in the laundry with the crumpled clothes from Naruto’s bed.

 _Yes, he’s far too skinny_ , Naruto thought as he returned to the bathroom, gazing over at Sasuke’s thin, bare shoulders with a pang of concern that he quickly tried to brush off. He’d be okay; he had Naruto to take care of him, after all!

“You always use too much bubble bath,” Sasuke commented as they settled into the water. Naruto disregarded his complaint, pouring some shampoo into his hand and pulling Sasuke back towards him. “And you washed my hair _yesterday_ ,” he added, shooting Naruto a look of disapproval over his shoulder.

“That was days ago,” Naruto said, working the shampoo through Sasuke’s hair and frowning in concentration. Sasuke leaned back to rest on his chest, apparently deciding he would let Naruto have his way. “Go on, you didn’t finish telling me about your book!”

“Hmm, okay,” Sasuke murmured, and Naruto noticed his eyes had fluttered closed and the tension in his muscles was slowly fading away as Naruto washed his hair. “If you insist…”

“I do,” Naruto said, moving onto the conditioner. He pressed a quick kiss to Sasuke’s shoulder, drawing a small noise of complaint from him that Naruto chose to ignore. He finished his task, feeling his own stress fading as he listened to the sound of Sasuke’s voice washing over him. Sasuke didn’t speak all that much to other people these days- when Naruto could convince him to socialise, that was, which wasn’t very often. But he’d speak to _Naruto_ \- when he felt like it.

Naruto had work to do after their bath- being Hokage was an endless pile of paperwork. But he took it into bed with him so he could watch Sasuke read while he worked. He loved watching Sasuke read, his dark eyes moving over the pages and his eyelashes casting shadows onto his cheeks. Sometimes Sasuke would even help with his paperwork.

(Oh yes, Naruto appreciated that- Sasuke had a knack for all that stuff, especially the sensitive diplomatic papers. It’s a pity they couldn’t just be one person: they’d be a much better Hokage that way.)

By the time Naruto was finally done, Sasuke had abandoned his book and was stretched out on the bed facing away from him. For just one skinny person he took up an awful lot of room, and Naruto had been gradually moving over across the bed until he and his paperwork were practically falling off the mattress. “Do you have to sleep _diagonally_?” he said, moving under the blankets and slipping an arm around Sasuke’s waist.

“Hmm?” Sasuke murmured, not opening his eyes as Naruto snuggled into the back of his neck and brought a hand to his cheek, tracing a finger along his pale skin to his ear. “’m not…” he added with a sigh, rolling over and pressing his face into Naruto’s chest.

“You’re cold, Sas,” Naruto commented, rubbing his hands lightly up and down Sasuke’s bare arms. “I’ll bring out the winter blankets tomorrow, okay?”

“Mm,” Sasuke said to that, pulling away from him and settling on his own pillows. Apparently, that was enough snuggling for him tonight- and Naruto knew better than to press him. Give Sasuke his own space or _else_.

Naruto bit back a sigh of disappointment and reached over to switch off the lamp. Oh well. Tomorrow was another day.

***

Naruto woke in the night with his Sasuke-senses tingling; he glanced over and found Sasuke gone from the bed. He was instantly flooded with worry, his blood spiking with alarm, but as soon as he rolled over to get out of bed he spotted Sasuke across the room, perched on the chair by the window. He breathed a sigh of relief and fell back down into the pillows. _Calm down, loser,_ he told himself harshly. _You don’t need to panic over every little thing_.

“Can’t sleep?” he called out softly, taking another deep breath.

Sasuke didn’t respond; he didn’t even seem to hear Naruto’s words. His eyes were glued to the window, gazing out at the moon and the trees. They kept their curtains open; they didn’t have any neighbours out here so it was okay. The moonlight seeped into the room, across Sasuke’s bare, pale skin and over to the bed.

“You should at least put a robe on,” Naruto admonished. The nights were getting colder, and Sasuke was just wearing a thin pair of boxers. “You’ll freeze to death!”

Sasuke just didn’t know how to take care of himself at all anymore. _Doesn’t know, or doesn’t care,_ said a voice inside his head. Sasuke turned slowly and glanced over at Naruto. His eyes were vacant, his expression far away. Naruto didn’t know where he was, but he wished he’d come home.

“Come back to bed, Sasuke,” he pleaded; but Sasuke just shook his head and turned away. _Don’t push him, just leave him be_ , Naruto told himself.

It’s not like there was anything he could do. There were just some things that Naruto couldn’t help with, that he probably wasn’t even capable of understanding. He bit his lip and rolled over, and tried to force himself back to sleep. It would all be okay in the end.

***

The next time he woke, Sasuke had returned to bed and was wrapped around him, pressed up against him for warmth and shivering slightly. Naruto yawned and pulled him closer, bringing the blankets up over them properly. Sasuke made a small, contented sound and Naruto smiled.

“Ready to sleep now?” he murmured, and Sasuke nodded, his soft hair brushing and tickling Naruto’s skin. Naruto reached out to tuck his long bangs behind his ears, lingering a little at the back of his neck, tracing up and down his cold skin.

Sasuke sighed and settled against his chest. Naruto traced a finger down his jawline and under his chin, angling his face up so he could see Sasuke’s eyes. “Yes?” Sasuke asked softly, blinking and gazing back at him. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” Naruto said, resting a finger on Sasuke’s bottom lip.

“If you say so,” Sasuke said back, his voice soft and sleepy. “Mm- do that again…” he added, when Naruto slipped an arm around his back and ran his hand down his spine.

“Do what?” Naruto teased, taking his hand away and drawing a look of ire from the dark-haired boy.

“ _That_ ,” Sasuke growled under his breath, wrapping himself more securely around Naruto’s side and nipping on the finger still resting on his mouth.

“Hey,” Naruto scolded softly. “That _hurt_ …”

“It’s your own fault,” Sasuke said back, his eyes turning a shade darker- a warning. Yes, yes, Naruto understood; he laid his hand between Sasuke’s shoulder-blades and pressed into his skin, running down his back in one long, smooth stroke. “Again,” Sasuke demanded, closing his eyes and resting his head on Naruto’s chest.

“Whatever you say,” Naruto spoke under his breath, repeating the motion again and again until Sasuke was melting into him, practically purring with contentment. Naruto grinned, his other hand ghosting over Sasuke’s bare shoulders and across his cheeks. He was so lovely; his skin so pale and his hair so soft. He made a happy, sleepy noise against Naruto’s skin, and Naruto knew for sure that he was _back_ , that Sasuke was here with him.

Naruto held him close and continued his actions until Sasuke’s skin was warm and his own anxiety had dulled. Sometimes he just had to know that he was _needed_ , that he was _useful_ \- that there was something Naruto could do to make Sasuke feel better.

“Hey, Sas?” he said, burrowing into the blankets and settling down to sleep.

“Mm?” Sasuke murmured, only half-awake by this stage.

“You’ll stay with me, right?” Naruto whispered into his ear, nuzzling into his skin. “You’ll stay right here?”

“Mm,” Sasuke sighed, shivering at Naruto’s touch. “’m not going anywhere, dead-last…”

Naruto smiled. “Thanks, Sas,” he said brightly, running his hand through Sasuke’s hair.

“…idiot,” Sasuke muttered into his chest, shifting under the blankets and arching his back under Naruto’s touch. “What would you do without me, anyway…”

Well, hopefully Naruto would never have to think about that. As long as Sasuke stayed with him, right here by his side; moody, demanding, hard-to-please. As long as his dark, dangerous eyes stared back at him, as long as he was willing to share his brilliant mind with him. _Just stay with me, Sasuke,_ Naruto thought to himself as his eyes closed, and he fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short drabble I wrote for tumblr ^_^. I just really like this 'verse, for some reason....

For the fourth year in a row, Naruto made the same New Year’s resolution: to worry less about Sasuke. And for the fourth year in a row, Naruto tried to convince himself he could do it, even as he was slowly realizing that Sasuke was not going to get better.

Sasuke wasn’t just going through a ‘phase’. He wasn’t just ‘adjusting’ to life after the war- and he wasn’t broken in a way that Naruto could fix. Sasuke had _changed_ , and Naruto worried about him. _Constantly_. That was the truth; yet Naruto kept on making that same damn resolution.

Of course it didn’t help that Sasuke wasn’t here with him in Konoha tonight as he made his resolution. It was the first New Year’s Eve in those four years that they’d been apart. Sasuke had been gone for five days. Not his longest “wander”, as Naruto called his absences; but Naruto really thought he would have been home by now.

Naruto made himself stay out with his friends until midnight, and then once he’d properly seen in the New Year he snuck off and slunk home. Sasuke didn’t feel any closer to Konoha at all tonight. Naruto pushed his disappointment aside. He had a quick shower, and climbed into bed with a sigh.

***

He woke with a start, all his alarm bells going off inside his head at once. _Sasuke_. Naruto pushed himself out of bed and rushed into the lounge, just in time to see the balcony doors open and Sasuke slump in, falling to the floor as he did so.

“ _Sasuke_!” Naruto cried out, flicking on a light and rushing to his side. “How did you get here so fast?! You’ve been so far away!”

Sasuke let out a little growl at the sudden light and turned his head away; that was when Naruto saw the blood. All the _blood_.

“Sasuke!” he cried out again, turning Sasuke’s face towards him. “What _happened_?”

“…’m fine,” Sasuke rasped under his breath. “…doesn’t hurt.”

“What if you’re in shock? What _happened,_ were you attacked?!” That’s what it looked like; like Sasuke had been fighting with wild beasts. Or- had fallen off a cliff, or flown through a forest of sharp, piercing branches. “Stay here, I’ll get the first-aid kit,” Naruto ordered.

“Hmph,” Sasuke grunted under his breath, slumping lower to the ground without Naruto to lean on. Clearly he wasn’t going _anywhere_.

 _Damn him_. Only hours after Naruto’s “worry-less” resolution and this had happened. It was hopeless. Naruto clenched his jaw and returned to Sasuke’s side, quickly setting to work wiping away blood and applying bandages where necessary.

“I’m taking you to see Sakura tomorrow,” Naruto informed him, internally preparing for a battle. Sasuke stayed silent. Naruto moved behind him to treat the long scratches on his back, dabbing antiseptic onto his skin as gently as he could. “Sasuke?”

Sasuke shuddered slightly as Naruto traced a finger-tip all along one particularly long, nasty gash.

Naruto put down his supplies and moved forward, leaning his forehead between Sasuke’s shoulder-blades. “Damn you, Sasuke,” he whispered into his chilled skin. “Where’ve you been?” Not that Naruto expected an answer. It was like speaking into an empty, frozen night.

He squeezed his eyes shut and breathed deep, letting the sensation of Sasuke’s presence wash over him. He was home. He was injured, but he was home.

“…what date is it?” came Sasuke’s voice, scratched and hoarse as he sat still, letting Naruto lean against him.

“January first,” Naruto answered, surprised that Sasuke was even speaking. He took it as a good sign and shifted closer, resting his arms by Sasuke’s side.

He felt Sasuke sigh. “I missed it, then,” he murmured. “…New Year’s.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Naruto said, trying to mean it. “You’re home now.”

“I’m sorry,” Sasuke went on.

Naruto stiffened. He was _sorry_? He’d never said that before- not ever! “Sas-”

Sasuke pulled away from him and turned around abruptly. “I’m sorry, Naruto,” he said again, sliding forward and leaning towards him. Naruto hastily reached out his arms and circled them around him.

“It- it’s okay, Sas, I just-” Naruto bit his lip, biting back a choke. “I just wish I- that you could tell me _why_ -” – _why you have to leave me. Why our home isn’t enough for you. Why **I** -_

“It’s not about you,” Sasuke murmured, resting his head down on Naruto’s shoulder and letting out a soft sigh. “…I just need to stop _thinking_ sometimes…”

 _Stop thinking_. And leaving town, slipping out of the apartment without warning in the night, that let him stop thinking?

“Can’t you understand that?” Sasuke spoke softly.

No. No, he couldn’t. “…I can try,” Naruto said cautiously, threading his fingers through Sasuke’s soft, dark hair, curling his body around him closer, breathing him in. He’d try anything, make any effort for Sasuke, for the other half of his soul.

“…thank you,” Sasuke breathed. “I’m tired, Naruto…”

Naruto sat up and let him go. “Of course,” he said, standing and reaching down to help Sasuke to his feet. “You’ll have to sleep on your stomach; those scratches on your back look awful. Do you want to take anything…?”

Sasuke shook his head, and then to Naruto’s indescribable surprise, he stepped forward and pressed his lips against Naruto’s, lingering these for several moments before moving away. “Let’s go to bed,” he murmured.

“…mm,” Naruto agreed with a nod. He took Sasuke’s hand, and led him home. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope y'll liked it! This is a different view of post-canon Naruto & Sasuke than my usual Konoha-verse fics; one in which Sasuke never quite recovers, and is very much disengaged with the real world. At least he has Naruto- and Naruto needs Sasuke just as much as Sasuke needs him!


End file.
